To kick off the week, Bonnie Wilson, Auburn’s coordinator for the Women in Science and Engineering Institute, introduced participants to the engineering design process including how to identify a problem or opportunity for improvement, research, brainstorm solutions, select an approach, and finally, prototype, test and refine a design. The girls put this process to the test by creating ping pong ball launchers before moving on to a more serious matter on a global scale.

Wilson discussed a number of everyday challenges faced by women in Ukunda, Kenya, the birthplace of Auburn alumna Esther Ngumbi. Esther, a postdoctoral fellow in the Department of Entomology, and her parents opened a primary school – the Faulu Academy – in Ukunda after her parents retired from public service in 2011.

“The campers learned about life without running water and electricity, and were challenged to research and create solutions to these everyday obstacles to benefit the lives of students at the school,” says Wilson. The girls brainstormed and researched a variety of issues and developed prototype solutions that they presented to Ngumbi. Among the items developed were a long handled spoon for cooking, a flexible gutter system for collecting rainwater, and reusable cooling packs for refrigeration, as well as underground water storage solutions and a rigid gutter system.

Hill noted that Ngumbi’s reaction to the campers’ finished projects was the highlight of the Women in Engineering Camp.

“When the girls saw how amazed she was, they realized that being an engineer is more than creating things – being an engineer is creating things that change lives,” says Hill.

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